


New Year's Eve

by Maurits



Category: No. 6 (Anime & Manga), No. 6 - All Media Types, No. 6 - Asano Atsuko
Genre: Alcohol, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22052305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maurits/pseuds/Maurits
Summary: Shion and Nezumi celebrate New Year's Eve together. There's booze and distant fireworks. How... romantic.
Relationships: Nezumi & Shion (No. 6), Nezumi/Shion (No. 6)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 29





	New Year's Eve

“Where’d you get that?”  
Nezumi walked up to him with a bottle of soda in one hand, and a glass bottle – wine? scotch? – in his other. “Vodka,” he answered, as if he’d read Shion’s thoughts. “And does it matter?”  
“Going by that answer, bet you stole it, huh.”  
“I can neither confirm nor deny,” Nezumi said with a mysterious smile.  
Shion laughed softly in response and redirected his attention to the scenery. He had been sitting on a hill near the library, Nezumi’s house – though not his home. Nezumi sat down next to him. Shion followed it from the corner of his eye. Nezumi’s movements were as they always were: graceful, elegant, and measured. He never made any unnecessary move; he had perfect motor skills. It was enchanting to merely see him move, as if there was something ethereal about his movements; as if they did not occur in time and space, but in some other realm of existence.  
In contrast to that, the scenery was anything but ethereal. If the ethereal movements of Nezumi suggested the heavens, the scenery of the West Block suggested the Earth, or perhaps hell. The buildings were old and badly maintained, and there were few lights. It was dark outside already, and the only reason the West Block was still visible was to be found beyond the West Block. A giant structure revealed itself in the cityscape: No. 6. Shion wondered whether he would ever call it home again. He hadn’t been attached to the place, but he did miss his mother, and his friend Safu. But now the giant walls kept him out.  
“Feeling nostalgic?” Nezumi asked. He handed him a mug with some drink in it. Shion smelled it. Soda and vodka. He hadn’t had alcohol before. In No. 6, people under 21 weren’t allowed to buy alcohol. And anyway, nobody really drank alcohol, due to the health risks. But Shion felt curious to what had been forbidden him for so long.  
“A little. But just for my mom and Safu, not for the city,” he answered, and took a huge gulp of the drink. The drank burned in his mouth, and as he swallowed it burned in his throat. He started coughing.  
Nezumi started laughing loudly. “Jesus, Shion. You haven’t had alcohol before, have you?” He didn’t wait for an answer, because he already knew it. “For a first time, start by taking small sips until you’re used to the taste.”  
Shion had finally managed to stop coughing, though he felt that he had gotten red from it. “I wish you’d said that earlier.”  
Nezumi chuckled. “Oh, I figured you would make that mistake. I just wanted to see it.” He took a swig from his own mug. “Look at that parasite.” He meant No. 6. “Is that what you wanted to come here for?”  
Shion sighed. “No, it wasn’t. It’s just that, since it’s New Year’s Eve, we could watch the fireworks together. We’re a bit far from the city to get a good view, but we should be able to see some.”  
“And if not, we still got booze.”  
“Then we still got booze,” Shion acquiesced, taking another sip. The drink was less intense now that he drank it in small sips. The taste wasn’t great, but he found himself continuing to drink anyway. He wouldn’t let Nezumi know that he didn’t like alcohol.  
They sat in silence for a while. Nezumi kept filling up the mugs when they were empty. At the third, Shion started to feel it. When he told Nezumi, he answered, “I wondered when you would.” Nezumi didn’t seem affected by it at first glance, but he’d gotten to know Nezumi better over the months and learned to recognize the smallest changes in him. His eyes were a bit distant, not as piercing as they usually were.  
“I figure it’s almost midnight,” Nezumi said, staring in the direction of No. 6. “Almost time for those amazing fireworks of yours.” The scorn did not escape Shion.  
“Can’t you at least try to enjoy it?”  
“I’ll try.” The way he looked to the city made Shion think that he was actually rather curious – although Nezumi would never admit it. Shion smiled at his hidden curiosity.  
Nezumi noticed, and turned towards him. “What are you grinning about?”  
“You. Is that not enough reason?”  
Nezumi laughed again. “I like this version of you, with the booze in it.”  
Shion laughed too. He felt woozy from the drink, and tired. He leaned towards Nezumi, and rested his head on his shoulder. “I’m tired,” he said, and closed his eyes.  
It took a moment for Nezumi to answer. “Then sleep well, sweetheart.” Shion couldn’t hear whether he was being sarcastic. Perhaps Nezumi didn’t know whether he was sarcastic either.  
Then Shion could hear distant bangs. The fireworks were announcing the beginning of the new year. Shion opened his eyes, but left his head resting on Nezumi’s shoulder. “And? What do you think?”  
Nezumi didn’t reply, watching in silence. Although they were far from the city, they could see the colorful fireworks sprout from the city. Green, red, purple, white – all kinds of colors. Although Shion had often seen them from up close, he had never found them as beautiful as he did now. Sitting on a hill, with Nezumi by his side, and a good amount of alcohol. He wondered what his mother would be doing right now. She had never been interested in fireworks – she said they were fine, but she would usually only watch them for a few minutes before going back inside.  
“Colorful,” Nezumi said, interrupting his train of thought. “But an ostentatious display of wealth. I bet they could use that money way better for other things. Such as for the ‘vermin’ of the West Block.”  
“You killjoy.”  
“Better a killjoy than a kill-people, like those in No. 6 are.”  
Shion wondered whether that was a good rebuttal: he suspected that Nezumi had killed people before, making him both a killjoy _and_ a kill-people. But he let it slide. “Best is neither of the two.”  
Nezumi snorted. “Alright, alright. The fireworks are nice. Happy?” he asked teasingly.  
“Yes.”  
Nezumi’s arm suddenly coiled around his shoulder. It surprised Shion. “I love you,” he found himself saying, before he even thought about it. The alcohol had made him loose-lipped.  
He could feel Nezumi tense up a little bit – almost unnoticeably so, but Shion was attuned to Nezumi now – but it only lasted a moment. They sat there, in peace. Then Nezumi started to move – his always graceful movements entrancing Shion. He brought his hand to Shion’s cheek, cupping it. He was right in front of him now, and they looked each other in the eyes. Softly. Despite the alcohol, Nezumi’s eyes were still piercing – but it was a soft kind. Not like an arrow piercing skin, but like a diver piercing the surface of a lake. And then he said, “I love you too.” And he pressed his lips upon Shion’s. And Shion felt at home, in the warmth of his touch.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I realized just this morning that I wanted to write this. But I also wanted to finish the last 130 pages of a book. I'm so glad I managed to do both.  
> In any case, I proof-read this exactly 0 times, so if you see a mistake, please let me know in the comments! (But compliments are also welcome.)


End file.
